This month’s book was House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig! A synopsis of the book and reviews are below.
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In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed.
Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters, their father, and stepmother. Once they were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls’ lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last—the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge—and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods.
Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that the deaths were no accidents. Her sisters have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn’t sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts. Because who—or what—are they really dancing with?
When Annaleigh’s involvement with a mysterious stranger who has secrets of his own intensifies, it’s a race to unravel the darkness that has fallen over her family—before it claims her next.
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Heart-wrenching. Exhilarating. Riveting. Unable to be put down.
The House of Salt and Sorrows tells the story of twelve sisters who live in a manor on a cliff by the sea. Tragically, each sister keeps dying unexpectedly, each death being worse than the last. When the fourth sister mysteriously falls off a cliff, one sister, Annaleigh, believes it wasn’t an accident. The whole town believes that the family has a curse, but Annaleigh refuses to believe it. She goes on a mental rollercoaster, trying to unravel what’s real and what is not in the wake of her grief. In a spooky retelling of The Brothers Grimm’s story of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, the sisters learn the real meaning of truth and how that can affect how you see the world. Truth can alter your reality. Personally, I loved this book!! I absolutely LIVE for retellings and this was definitely the perfect one. In line with most of the Grimm stories, this book has a tone of horror and unexpectedness that kept me on the edge of my seat. Honestly, I would give this book five stars!! After reading, I almost feel caught in a trance; a book hangover, you might say… or a curse!
— Elizabeth Vasquez, ‘25
In House of Salt and Sorrows, Erin A. Craig delivers a stunning mystery surrounding Annaleigh, one of twelve sisters who lives an isolated life in a manor by the sea. This modern retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses has a twist of horror— four of the twelve sisters suffer terrible deaths, leading to rumors of a curse upon the family. Annaleigh attempts to unravel the mystery, only to put herself into more danger…
Overall I liked this book more than I thought I would, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes mystery, a bit of danger, and, of course, fairytales. I had a literary phase of reading retellings of old stories, and after reading many retellings, I would have to say that this book is one of my favorites. The writing itself is not only good, but the author gives it a modern twist, which draws the reader in. I definitely recommend!
— Sine Thompson, ‘24
